Castrol MEM Rally Team heads to what is arguably the most important event in this year's British Rally Championship, with the JDS Machinery Rali Ceredigion (4–6 September) not only the squad's local asphalt event but also offering two full points-scoring opportunities.
The team arrives in great form and full of confidence, with Osian Pryce/James Morgan leading the UK's premier rally series and Castrol Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 team-mates Meirion Evans/Dale Furniss in a title-challenging third position in the points table.
The event’s host town of Aberystwyth is just 30 miles away from the Melvyn Evans Motorsport (MEM) headquarters near Lampeter, although a new Rali Ceredigion route through the stunning closed country lanes of mid and west Wales will provide a fresh and exciting challenge for both drivers.
Osian has an exceptionally strong record on Rali Ceredigion. He has contested all five editions held to date, has finished in the top seven every time and has won the event outright twice – including the first year in 2019.
Each time he has taken a different co-driver, and this year is no exception as James will be his sixth co-driver on the event.
The Toyota will also be the fourth different make of car that Osian has driven on the event.
As a dress rehearsal for the event, the 2022 British Rally Champion contested and won the recent Down Rally.
Although the Northern Ireland roads are different in character to the Welsh lanes, the event provided valuable and successful seat time on asphalt in the Yaris Rally2.
Meirion has also contested Rali Ceredigion on all five previous occasions – in three different cars and with two different co-drivers!
He too has an excellent record on the event, with his best result coming in 2022, when he finished second overall.
He was also battling for victory in 2019 before an off, set more fastest stage times than anyone else in 2023 (although a puncture robbed him of a chance of victory), and last year fought back from an off on the Y Diafol (The Devil) stage to climb from 21st to 10th overall and take fifth-place BRC points.
Rali Ceredigion also hosts a round of the FIA European Rally Championship, and whilst both Castrol MEM Rally Team drivers have shown great ERC pace before, their sole focus will be on scoring as many BRC points as possible.
Osian Pryce said: “Given our record on Rali Ceredigion and our position in the BRC, there are a lot of expectations heading into the event. It would also be quite easy to get sucked into the ERC battle, as we’d obviously like to score another good overall result – but we have to be sensible and focus on the BRC.
“And whatever comes after that will be a bonus.
“Rali Ceredigion is two points-scoring events for us. The first on Friday night and Saturday is quite a long and difficult one, and then Sunday will be a short, sharp blast.
“Even if we’re in a good overall position on Saturday night, we can’t ease off and consolidate that position because, in terms of scoring BRC points, we’ll have to be back on it 100% on Sunday as well.
“We’re almost in a different rally to the ERC crews, because the mindset will be that we’re starting afresh on Sunday.
“We just have to keep reminding ourselves that it’s two rallies for us and that BRC points are the priority.
“We did the Down Rally as a bit of practice for Rali Ceredigion. The result was very good, but I feel that we still have a little bit of work to do on the set-up of the car on asphalt.
“The aim now is to do everything we can to be in a good place to start the rally and then go out to do the best we can.”
Meirion Evans said: “Rali Ceredigion is my home rally, but one I've never really had the rub of the green on – so hopefully this year that will change.
“We’ll go into it like any other rally, but it's an important event for our British Rally Championship campaign in terms of it being two points-scoring opportunities and the added distraction of the top European crews coming as well.
“For the sake of the BRC, we need to be at our best on both days and it's important that we win at least one of the rounds.
“The aim is to be consistent throughout the entire event, get the car working properly, get our heads down early and settle into a good pace.
“This year hopefully we can put it all together. If we can avoid the issues we’ve had before on this event, there is no reason why we shouldn't be in a good position.
“Over the years, we’ve proved that we have the speed to do it – it’s just tying it all together and making sure it sticks at the end. It would be great to bring home a good result for all the hard work everyone has put into this team and for Castrol.”
This year’s Rali Ceredigion features 16 stages, totalling 118 miles.
The action starts on Friday (4 September) evening, with two passes over the Aberystwyth street stage before two more technical night-time stages on narrow, bumpy roads outside Aberystwyth.
Saturday (5 September) features a demanding loop of three stages, including Cwm Elan which, at 13 miles, is the longest of the weekend. The loop is tackled twice, split by a lunchtime service halt in Aberystwyth.
A double run through the Aberystwyth street stage finishes off the longest day.
This is where the first full BRC points will be awarded.
Sunday (6 September) features two stages, each tackled twice, combining narrow, technical lanes with fast, double-width roads and challenging sections through local villages.
The day hosts the penultimate round of the 2026 British Rally Championship, with another set of full points awarded at the rally finish on Aberystwyth Promenade.
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